The V Spot

Rants, observations, and home decorating... from a woman with no time for a blog.


  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Blog Posts
  • Crafts
    • All projects
    • By Project
      • Accessories
      • Artwork
      • Before & After
      • Cheap & Easy
      • decor
      • Floral Design & Centerpieces
      • Furniture
      • garden & outdoors
      • Glass
      • no-sew
      • Upcycle – Recycle
      • Wreaths
    • By Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • By Materials
      • corks
      • epsom salt
      • fabric
      • Mod Podge
      • Paper
      • Spray Paint
      • Sticks
    • Round-Ups
  • Holidays
    • Halloween
      • Pumpkins
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • 4th of July
  • Food & Drink
    • All recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dish
    • Main Dish
    • Desserts
    • Drinks & Wines
    • Tables & Decor
  • Real Life
    • Family
      • Grant
      • parenting
    • Tales To Tell
    • friends
    • Keepin’ It real
    • Tips & Tricks
      • cleaning
      • Health & Beauty
      • Let me help you
      • organization
    • Just Funny
      • No Mom wants to hear…
      • Exchange of the Day
      • Snarky
      • wacky strangers
      • Big Time Fail

Kindergarten teachers are underpaid.

October 5, 2009 24 Comments

Most teachers are underpaid. I don’t know how they do it.
How do they keep a nice, soothing tone of voice?
How do they keep those kids under control without a cattle prod?
Why aren’t they in a stupor, rocking back and forth and mumbling greeneggsandhamgreeneggsandhamgreeneggsandham…?
I am The Cooking Mom every other Wednesday in Grant’s class. My first recipe from the class cookbook was B For Butter. We took a little whipping cream and had to shake it until it turned to butter.In groups of about 8, the kids rotated through 3 “stations” in the class. I was supposed to give each kid a little baby food jar with some whipping cream and have them shake it until they had butter. You know what? Baby food jars are not meant to be reused in such a fashion. The lids don’t screw back on securely. I had to tighten them so much that when the kids (finally) had a lump of butter, I couldn’t get the lids back off. I felt like a monkey… pounding the lids on the table and grunting trying to get those suckers off.

I was then to give the kids a spoon and some saltines and let them taste the butter they made.

“I don’t want a plate. Can I use my cookbook paper as a plate?”
“I don’t want the butter. Can I just have crackers?”
“Is there juice?”
“I don’t want the crackers. Can I just have butter?”
“Do you like butter?”
“Can I have more crackers?”
“He took my spoon!”
“Everyday when I get home from school, my mom makes me vacuum the whole house.”
“Can we eat the butter with the spoon?”
“What’s your favorite donkey?”
“Can I have more crackers?”
“I have a hamster.”Peppered throughout these constant comments was whining. Brandon: “Teeaaaaaaaaaaachheeerrrrr! I don’t have butter yeeeettttt! Teeeeeeee-cher! Mine’s not wooooooooorking.”

“Brandon! My name is not teacher! My name is Mrs. W. And STOP WHINING!”

While still trying to shake leaky jars, get the kids to color their cookbook page for the letter B, serve them crackers and butter and field all of these questions… Time’s Up! Switch to your next station everybody!

I had about 30 seconds to clean up the table space, pick up the kids’ papers, get the next groups’ papers ready, and dump the remaining butter from the jars and clean them for the next round. Have you ever tried to wash butter off of something with cold water? It doesn’t work very well.

At the end of my 2 hours, I was frazzled. As the kids got ready to file out to recess, the teacher cheerfully said, “Let’s all thank our volunteer moms for helping us today!”

They all shouted their thanks. One kid came out of the line and ran across the room to give me a great big hug.

It was not Grant.

It was Brandon, the kid I came down on for his incessant whining.

Go figure.

Filed Under: no reason - just fun, parenting, quirkiness

Comments

  1. KT says

    October 5, 2009 at 5:08 PM

    yup! Sounds like day in the life!

    KT

    Reply
  2. Kelli says

    October 5, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    Whew, I’m tired reading that. I don’t know how they do it either. It looks like you made an impact though…that’s sweet.

    Reply
  3. Emily says

    October 5, 2009 at 6:10 PM

    and that is one of the reasons I am not a teacher! Isn’t it funny how kids can drive you crazy and act like they’re having a terrible time and then come up and hug you?

    Reply
  4. MiMi says

    October 5, 2009 at 6:14 PM

    I have a headache just thinking about it. I’m supposed to help in Kolby’s class coming up here; with papier mache…yikes.

    Reply
  5. shortmama says

    October 5, 2009 at 6:27 PM

    I help out in Rhiannon’s class on Mondays and I really dont know how the teachers do it! The kids are loud and whiny and interrupting and OMG I want to put my fingers in my ears sometimes!

    Reply
  6. Jen says

    October 5, 2009 at 7:02 PM

    🙂 My little ones are too little to allow me to ‘help’ in class like that yet – Praise God!

    I like the kid who has to vacuum after school every day!

    Reply
  7. drollgirl says

    October 5, 2009 at 7:14 PM

    god! i would shoot myself in this scenario! or i would turn into a tyrant teacher and demand silence, full attention, and complete cooperation! i am sure that wouldn’t work!

    p.s. wonder if kindergarten teachers have a high rate of substance abuse.

    Reply
  8. Lauren says

    October 5, 2009 at 7:23 PM

    You are going to think I am insane, but that story totally makes me miss teaching Kindergarten!

    Reply
  9. Jennifer says

    October 5, 2009 at 7:39 PM

    To further prove I’m going out of my mind….That sounds fun!

    I had something very similar to that when I had to read a book about kites to a class & then had them make their own kites.

    I was smart enough to NOT bring glitter. haha

    Reply
  10. Kasey says

    October 5, 2009 at 7:56 PM

    I had no idea you were such an amazing cook…I mean you make your own butter and everything!

    Way to be a trooper and I so agree that teachers need to be paid more (of course my husband is a coach so maybe I’m a little bias but whatever ya know?!)

    Reply
  11. Nina Patricia @ The Adventures of Nina Patricia says

    October 5, 2009 at 8:26 PM

    I could never ever be a teacher! I don’t have the patience.

    Reply
  12. Becca @ The Texas Darlings says

    October 5, 2009 at 9:44 PM

    I did that once last year. ONCE. We made “dirt” out of chocolate pudding & crushed oreos. Can you say MESSY????

    I did not enjoy that experience and thus am so happy to NOT be a teacher.

    ~Becca

    Reply
  13. Shannon says

    October 5, 2009 at 10:14 PM

    Yep, welcome to my world except with first and second graders….and soiled pants…lots of soiled pants….

    Reply
  14. Sarah says

    October 5, 2009 at 10:33 PM

    LOL – I subbed in a kindergarten classroom ONE time. That was enough.

    Reply
  15. Ali says

    October 5, 2009 at 10:54 PM

    All of those comments had me laughing out loud. That is so funny.

    My mom is a teacher for 2 year olds. Enough said.

    Reply
  16. Connie Weiss says

    October 5, 2009 at 11:01 PM

    I knew there was a very good reason I never wanted to be a teacher when I grew up!

    How did you do all of that in 30 seconds?

    Reply
  17. Keetha Broyles says

    October 5, 2009 at 11:53 PM

    Some of us are no longer sane – – – greeneggsandhamgreeneggsandhamgreeneggsandham!!!

    Reply
  18. Shawn says

    October 6, 2009 at 1:04 AM

    God made teachers and God made ME! SO NOT A Teeeeeacher!

    I so feel your pain. I’ve been the homeroom Mom for the past 9 year, not including pre-school, and some years I did it times 2!

    Now go break open that package of Sangria mix!

    Reply
  19. Liz @ Sugarplum Creations says

    October 6, 2009 at 4:07 AM

    That is tooo funny! I can go crazy sometimes just trying to carry on a conversation with my mom while in the car with my daughters. And I only have two that can talk!

    Reply
  20. JennyMac says

    October 6, 2009 at 10:36 AM

    oh boy….this is what we will have to look forward to in 2.5 years.

    I do NOT know how teachers do it.

    But that photo with the pile of monkeys on that car made me laugh. I imagine that is precisely what is like….

    Reply
  21. Housewife Savant says

    October 6, 2009 at 10:44 AM

    The kid who is forced to vacuum…Grant?

    Reply
  22. Tammy Howard says

    October 6, 2009 at 1:11 PM

    I have taught everything from early-intervention to university and everything in between except Jr. High because Jr. High scares me. This sounds pretty typical. And yes, teachers are dramatically underpaid.

    Reply
  23. mama-face says

    October 6, 2009 at 10:14 PM

    Haha…too too funny. I am laughing myself sick cuz I’ve been there; done that. There is always a ‘Brandon’, isn’t there? Bless you for your service!

    Reply
  24. LCGreen says

    October 12, 2009 at 7:23 PM

    OMG! I am choking on my water reading this foolishness…kids are the funniest little things!

    “My mom makes me vaccuum the whole house”

    LOL

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

you might also like:

A county fair… bad food, bad prizes and good fun.
4th grade campaign promises.

Note to self: do not take 10 year old boys into a lingerie store.
Teacher Tweets: My son’s first experience with having something go viral.

Spooky Spirits: Easy Halloween “potions” you already have in your kitchen.
Words of wisdom for mothers of boys…

Sorry, but I have a “no reptiles” policy in place.
Having good manners comes from using them. Five tips for kids.

Field Trip: The Orange County Swap Meet
The Great Halloween Party Wrap Up (2011 edition)

Recent Posts

  • Spooky porch decor and a Halloween Chair.
  • DIY Plaid Wine Glasses
  • Easy Sand-N-Sea Flower Pots
  • How to use an indoor chandelier outside.
  • Quesadillas made with slow cooker Carnitas. (Pork in a crock pot… nothing is easier.)
  • No Sew Project: How to recover your outdoor cushions using fabric and a glue gun.
  • Upcycle project: plain flower pot into decorative ceramic planter.
  • An easy Valentine’s Day globe.
  • Simple, winter themed decor. (Using what you already have, of course.)
  • Easy Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipe

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Vivienne Wagner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Popular Posts

  • Cleaning Stove Burners & Grates using Ammonia (The best...
    Comments (631) | Jul 07, 2011
  • Easy Dessert Recipe: Oreo Cheesecake Bites
    Comments (64) | Mar 04, 2014
  • How to store fresh produce – From A to Zucchini.
    Comments (111) | Jan 25, 2012
  • No Sew Project: How to recover your outdoor cushions using f...
    Comments (109) | Mar 03, 2018
  • DIY wine bottle crafts.
    Comments (10) | Aug 22, 2013
Privacy

Copyright © 2023 The V Spot · Website by Houndstooth Media Group